The Inventor review: A dull animated tale that has little to hold the attention of young viewers
THE INVENTOR
(PG) 100mins
CHOOSING a movie can be like deciding what food to order from a menu.
If blockbusters are the burger and fries of the big screen, then The Inventor, about the life of Leonardo da Vinci, is more like ordering a quinoa salad — you know it’s been made with the best of intentions, but it is still rather dull.
There is, however, plenty to admire in this dutiful, animated Renaissance tale about the 15th and 16th century inventor and artist, whose brush strokes gave us the Mona Lisa.
Director Jim Capobianco, who wrote the Ratatouille screenplay, uses a mix of hand-drawn and puppet animation, instead of today’s typical computer-generated style, giving the film an artisan authenticity that fits its subject.
The musical score is delightful, and the voice actors, including Marion Cotillard (as Louise of Savoy) and Daisy Ridley (Princess Marguerite) deliver with charm.
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But despite being lovingly crafted, the result is an earnest family flick that is not very exciting.
In Rome in 1516, da Vinci’s scientific probing is poorly received by Pope Leo X (Matt Berry from Toast Of London), who wishes our genius would stop trying to make machines and instead concentrate on “painting pretty things like Michel-angelo.”
So Leonardo leaves for France and joins the court of King Francis I where he has freedom to experiment, devise, engineer, study anatomy, paint his portrait masterpieces and generally knock about musing on the meaning of life. But to his dismay, the Gallic monarch turns out to be less progressive than he seems.
And as far as the plot goes, that’s about it.
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Leonardo’s dialogue, voiced by Stephen Fry in bumbling professor mode, mainly consists of tossing out leaden philosophical adages, including “A well spent day means a happy sleep” and “There isn’t time in this life to find all the answers”.
Great on a fridge magnet, not very captivating in a script without much narrative, action or adventure to light his words up.
Da Vinci’s dronings soon start to feel like being lectured — rather like one of the worthy educational videos for which the telly was wheeled into the classroom at school.
There’s little to hold the attention of younger watchers.
And even a cameo from the Mona Lisa can’t raise a smile.
★★☆☆☆
COPA 71
(PG) 91mins
FEW World Cups had the drama to match the one in Mexico – the host nation threatened to go on strike, a semi-final was curtailed by an on-field barney and England went out early.
OK, the last bit isn’t unusual, but the rest is.
The reason most of you won’t know about these momentous events is because it was a women’s World Cup in 1971 that the sport’s governing bodies tried to scrub from history.
The English team that flew out to Mexico to take part were banned from playing by the FA on their return for taking part in this unofficial tournament.
But as there wasn’t an authorised England women’s football team at that time, what choice did the players have?
Copa 71 looks back at the stories of the players from all six nations that took part in this groundbreaking event, which attracted crowds of over 90,000.
Their tales of refusing to simply get “back in the kitchen”, like the men told them to, is unquestionably inspirational. It is also wonderful to see them revelling in the joy of sport, camaraderie . . . and holding grudges to this day about refereeing decisions.
- By Grant Rollings
★★★★☆
HIGH & LOW: JOHN GALLIANO
(15) 117mins
MY idea of fashion is jeans, T-shirt and trainers, so the world of haute couture makes about as much sense as paying a fortune for ripped clothes.
But I did appreciate John Galliano turning catwalk shows into a form of bonkers entertainment, something akin to a Terry Gilliam movie.
He appeared on the runaway in pirate outfits and got models to throw dead fish at the audience. You don’t get that in M&S.
But the Brit designer has a dark side to his character, exposed by The Sun in 2011 when reporters uncovered a video of him spouting anti-Semitism to strangers outside a bar in Paris.
Director Kevin Macdonald tries to get to the bottom of why he made the sickening remarks.
Was it the stress of work? Alcoholism? Depression? Or is Galliano just an unpleasant man?
There are tales from friends and associates to support all of those possibilities.
But Galliano remains an enigma, who appears to think High & Low might be a way to rehabilitate himself.
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The result is a middling confessional.
- By Grant Rollings